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He said: “At the moment I can’t do a press-up, it’s not a nice feeling because you get used to doing certain things with your body and now you can’t.”

After the operation Duberry faces around 10 weeks of rehabilitation before he can begin light training.

Even if everything goes perfectly he is unlikely to return before Christmas.

For someone who openly admits to hating rehab training, plus the chance of a relapse, there is the possibility that with less than 12 months left on his United contract, he hangs up his boots
altogether.

Duberry is reluctant to look too far ahead, but admitted retirement had crossed his mind this summer before it became clear an operation was needed to maintain his quality of life.

He said: “Talking openly, the shout of retirement was on the cards rather than someone opening up my neck and that’s how serious it was for me.

“I thought ‘you know what, I’d rather retire than have someone go in and cut my neck and risk being paralysed’.

“That thought process has kind of changed a bit, but the fears are still there.”